Chris de Burghundy... Singer's wines reach World Record price at Christie's

Christie's has completed its sale of Chris de Burgh's fabulous wine collection, and the results did not disappoint.

The auction saw 320 bottles and 84 magnums go under the hammer and achieve £345,000 ($560,000), easily surpassing the estimate of £200,000.

The greatest success, which made all the difference to the total was a 62-magnum lot of Mouton Rothschild 1945-2005 (estimate: £70,000-90,000) which sold for £155,250 ($251,000). This set a new world record for a collection of magnums containing vintages from years later than WWII.

Chris de Burgh's long love affair with wine began whilst wine waiting at the family castle hotel in South East Ireland as a teenager - a guest asked him to try the bottle of Château d'Yquem he'd ordered, and the special moment has stayed with him to this day.

However, he felt so attached to some of the bottles in his collection that he did not feel he'd ever be able to drink them. In any case his family prefer to drink white wine.

De Burgh's personal favourite lot in the sale was a full 12 bottle case of Château Lafite-Rothschild, vintage 1945 (estimated at £12,000-16,000).

"Considering the dramatic events that were unfolding across Europe and particularly in France at that time, it's extraordinary that one of the finest wines of the century was made then", he noted. The set sold on target at £12,650.